The Bat in the Spider's Web
by pkokorot
Summary: Two of the world's greatest crime-fighters team up.
1. Chapter 1

The Bat in the Spider's Web

In an office room, behind a desk sits a large man in a white suit. He leans back in his cushioned chair and brings out a silver lighter up to the tip of a thick Cuban cigar clutched tightly between his lips. His name is Wilson Fisk, also known as the Kingpin. He is one of the world's most dangerous mob bosses. Slowly, Kingpin pulls the cigar out of his mouth and exhales a large gray puff of smoke. His dark eyes shoot across the desk, to where one of his lieutenants stands straight up, shaking slightly from fear. "I don't understand. I gave you a simple job. I even told you how important it was that those shipments arrive on time and without damage." Kingpin asks in an eerily calm voice. There was no trace of anger, yet that only added to the fear felt by the lieutenant. "Sir, it wasn't my fault! It was Spider-Man!" The lieutenant pleads. The fear is stamped on his face, unable to be hidden or held back any longer. "I tried, I really tried, but Spider-Man ruined everything!" Kingpin takes a long drag on the cigar, before slowly exhaling and putting it out in a large glass ashtray on his desk. He stands up and walks around the room, his hands folded behind his back. "The Spider-Man problem will soon be a thing of the past… But as for you…" Kingpin begins to reach under his white jacket and the lieutenant flinches, but before anything else could happen, the intercom on Kingpin's desk begins to buzz. The crime lord pauses and calmly walks over to the intercom, his finger pressing down against one of the buttons. "Yes, what is it? I'm in the middle of a meeting." "Sir, Roman Sionis is here to see you." Kingpin pauses for a moment. "Of course. Send him up immediately." Without even looking back at the cowering lieutenant, Kingpin pulls a heavy revolver from beneath his coat and shoots the man in the chest.

The doors at the far end of the room open and a man in a white suit walks in. What makes this man stand out is that the fact that he is wearing a mask that looks like a skull that is black in color. He is Roman Sionis, but he also goes by the name Black Mask. He notices the dying criminal on the floor, clutching his side and moaning loudly. Sionis simply walks over the man and adjusts his suit. "It's a real shame to get such a nice rug soaked in blood." Sionis says, noticing the expensive foreign rug beneath the dying man. Kingpin nods inattentively. "A small price to pay. My apologies for making such a mess before our meeting, but sometimes you have to teach a lesson to show the price of failure." Sionis walks over and takes a seat. "I understand completely. I have the same problem back in Gotham." "Yes, I've heard." Kingpin snaps his fingers and two of his men enter the room, bringing a silver tray containing an arch bottle of scotch and two smaller glasses, as well as a container of ice. As one man sat the tray down between the two crime bosses, the other picks up his now dead colleague. With the help of the first man, the two carry the corpse out and close the door behind them.

"Were you able to find suitable candidates for the plan?" Kingpin asks, as he pours himself a full glass. "I was. The three of them are extremely dangerous, and they'll be more than happy to squash that bug for you." Sionis explains as he drops a few ice cubes into his glass and then fills it only halfway with alcoholic brew. A smile crosses Kingpin's face as he leans back in his chair. "Good." "I am curious," Sionis speaks up after a long sip of his scotch. "From what I hear, there was already a Sinister Six once before. What makes you think this time will be any different?" Kingpin nods thoughtfully while strumming his chin with one of his fingers. "It's true that this was tried before and Spider-Man managed to survive… But that time, all six of the foes were ones he had fought many times before. He knew how to beat them." "I see… So that's why you came to me." Sionis laughs, sitting his empty glass down on the silver tray. "Three of Gotham's finest criminals, all of whom would be a new challenge. Spider-Man will have no idea how to fight them… But they will know exactly how to fight him thanks to the three local criminals. Not a bad plan, Fisk." A toothy grin appears on Kingpin's face. "Of course, Roman. I thought of everything… And once Spider-Man has been eliminated, I can once again control New York without some so-called 'superhero' getting in the way and I'll be able to spread the good fortune back to your enterprises." "It's a win-win." Sionis laughs. "And who knows, if this goes well, maybe I'll have to send this new Sinister Six to eliminate my bat problem." Kingpin pours another shot of scotch into Sionis's empty glass and then raises his own. "To the end of our problems!" Sionis clicks his glass into Kingpin's and then the two drink, each feeling confident that they would finally see an end to the problems that had plagued them for so long.


	2. Chapter 2

At LaGuardia airport, a group of people gather around a sleek black private jet. Most of them are members of the press, gathered into a large group as they eagerly wait for the man walking down the steps of the plane had to say. Among the crowd pushing at a chance to get a perfect photo is Peter Parker. The high school senior is kneeling down, hoping to have a picture to sell to the Daily Bugle. Reporters shouted out questions as a man with short, black hair and expensive suit walked away from the plane. Bruce Wayne adjusts his tie and waves to the crowd as he hurried on towards the waiting limousine. _Man, Bruce Wayne is so cool._ Peter thinks to himself as he watches Wayne slip into the limo. _He's just as charismatic as Tony Stark, but I think that Mr. Stark would say that Wayne is not as cool as he is._

The reporters start to rapidly pack away their equipment, each eager to jump into their news vans and follow Mr. Wayne, when suddenly a loud boom shatters the air, spreading confusion. Peter cranes his neck and gazes pass the airfield fence. Down the road, a cloud of black smoke billows up from the street. He sees the recognizable form of Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. the Vulture, flying out of the jewelry store in his green wing-suit and making his getaway. _Looks like the Vulture is up to no good. Well, at least he was nice enough to wait until after I got the photos I needed._ Peter smirks as he puts the camera into his backpack and starts running down the street. Luckily for him, the sudden explosion created a lot of confusion and panic, so no one noticed a high school student rushing beyond the chain-link fence of the airport and off onto the streets of Brooklyn.

Peter slips into an alleyway and quickly changes out of the simple red T-shirt and jeans, trading them in for a suit that everyone in New York recognizes. A red and blue suit that covered his head with large white mesh in the shape of eyes, and the pattern of a spider's web across the red. Over his chest is an emblem of a big black spider, the symbol of the Spectacular Spider-Man! Beneath the cloth of his gloves, devices of his own invention fire out a cord of webbing that attaches to a nearby building and allows the web slinger to jump up into the air and go sailing out of the alley. He twists and turns in the air, falling with grace before he fires a second web and swings on. As he does, Spider-Man notices something from the corner of his eye. A black limousine parked in a nearby alleyway. It looks a lot like the one Bruce Wayne was driven off in, but the wall crawler doesn't think too much of it. He's closing in on the Vulture.

Toomes is about to fly over another building when Spider-Man jumps from behind him and somersaults over him, landing on his feet and as a result, stopping the Vulture in his path. "Toomes, I think it's time for you to get a new hobby.", Spider-Man quips, "How about birdwatching? I mean, it's perfect for an old-timer like you because of your costume choices." "Spider-Man! You have stuck your nose into my business for the last time!", yells Toomes. "Speaking of last time, when was the last time you had a good BM? If it has been a while, you should probably call a doctor.", Spider-Man jokes. "That's it!" Toomes pulls out his plasma pistol and starts firing at Spider-Man, but the teenage hero dodges every shot. "You should also get your eyes checked. Macular degeneration is a serious issue for today's senior citizens." Toomes then throws two grenades. Spider-Man manages to dodge the first one, but the second one manages to explode right in front of him, causing him to fly backwards across the roof and landing close to the edge. Somehow, his homemade suit is still in one piece. Vulture makes his move and subdues the web slinger by placing his boot on Spider-Man's chest. "End of the line, Spider-Man." Toomes sneers as he is about to fire his plasma pistol into the wall crawler's face. All of a sudden, a large dark shape glides in from above them and crashes into Toomes, who as a result gets knocked 10 feet backward. Toomes looks to see that a caped figure is now standing between him and Spider-Man.

Spider-Man recognizes the figure and gasps in amazement. The man is bigger than him, both in height and muscle mass. He's wearing a gray suit with black boots, gloves, and a cape and cowl. His cowl has pointed ears, spikes on the edges of the gloves, a yellow belt, and the unmistakable black bat emblem on his chest. _I don't believe it!_ _It's Batman!_ Spider-Man thinks to himself. The Vulture's shock turns into anger. "Just who do you think you are?" Toomes growls. "Your worst nightmare." Batman replies in a stoic and intimidating voice. In response, Toomes rises into the air and begins firing his plasma pistol at the Dark Knight, but Batman manages to dodge every shot. Batman then pulls out some of his trademark shurikens out of his utility belt. _Batarangs. Awesome._ Spider-Man thinks to himself. Batman then throws the batarangs at the Vulture's wings. Their tips get wedged into the wings' crevices. Batman then pulls out the trigger button and presses it. All of a sudden, the wings explode, causing Toomes to come crashing down on the roof. Toomes, now terrified, tries to fire his plasma pistol, but Batman lands a knockout punch, rendering him unconscious. Spider-Man, now back on his feet, approaches the Caped Crusader. "Thanks for the save. And for also turning the Vulture into the Turkey. Ha-ha, get it? Because he can't fly anymore…" Batman just glares at Spider-Man, making him feel uncomfortable. "… Ok, I get it. You have no time for jokes." _Geez, he's even grumpier than Wolverine._ Spider-Man thinks to himself as he webs up Toomes's body for the police to find. He then turns his attention back to Batman. "Let me just say that it's a real honor to finally meet you, Mr. Batman sir. I am a big fan of your work. I'm Spider-Man…" "I know who you are." Batman replies. "Ok… So, what brings you to New York?" "That's none of your concern." Batman replies as he turns to leave. "Actually, it just might be." Spider-Man replies while crossing his arms. "With all due respect, some professional courtesy wouldn't hurt. I mean, I wouldn't come to Gotham city and start beating up members of your rogues gallery without giving you a heads up." Batman just scoffs, looking back over his shoulder at Spider-Man. "Try it sometime and let me know how that works out for you." In one swift motion, Batman pulls his Bat Klaw from his belt and fires a line onto a nearby building. He gets hoisted up and disappears onto the rooftop. _As much as I want to follow you…_ Spider-Man thinks to himself as he glances up the building where the big black bat had disappeared to, _… I really don't want to be late for my dinner date with Mary Jane._ Spider-Man then turns and swings away on his webs in the opposite direction.


	3. Chapter 3

"You really met Spider-Man? That's awesome!" In his hotel room, Bruce Wayne is slipping back into the expensive business suit he knew that the public would expect him to wear. He was never comfortable wearing monkey suits. It's a very different suit that he felt comfortable wearing. "He's as reckless as I thought, Barbara." Bruce replies. Sitting on the desk in his hotel room is a small computer screen, broadcasting straight to the subterranean catacombs beneath his home. Sitting in a wheelchair is a young woman with red hair and a big smile. She is Barbara Gordon, code-name Oracle. "Come on, Spider-Man can't be that bad. A lot of people consider him a hero." "Not everyone." Bruce replies as he briefly looks over to the television on the opposite wall. It's muted at the moment but shows a news channel where an extremely angry man with a mustache named J. Jonah Jameson is ranting about the incident in Brooklyn. Barbara laughs, shaking her head. "Oh please… And I suppose everything that Jack Ryder reports about Batman is the truth? Like the story that he wrote about you being a vampire. Or that time he was convinced that you and the Joker were actually the same person." "It doesn't matter how much is true or not. Spider-Man is not the priority but finding out why Black Mask came to New York is." Bruce replies. He slips his jacket on over his shirt and then turns back to the computer screen. "Find anything yet?" "Of course I did." Barbara replies. "I was able to hack Sionis's computer. Looks like he's been trading emails with someone named Wilson Fisk." Bruce's eyes widen. "I've heard of Fisk. He's one of the biggest crime bosses in New York. Goes by the name Kingpin. I heard rumors that he and Sionis had worked together before, but Fisk has kept clear of Gotham so I never went after him." "Guess that's about to change." Barbara says. Then the smirk on her face vanishes and her tone grows slightly more serious. "Be careful, Bruce. You're on your own this time. Dick and Tim are too busy protecting Gotham in your absence." "I can handle it." There's an unshakable confidence in his voice. "I know you can." Barbara smiles. "… But if you do need help, Spider-Man would be perfect. You can never have too many friends." Bruce just raises an eyebrow at Barbara before turning off the computer screen and slipping it back into his belt.

At a small café on the bustling isle of Manhattan, Peter Parker takes a seat sheepishly across from his girlfriend. The beautiful redhead just sighs, smiling slightly as she shakes her head at Peter. "You know, Tiger, if you ever need to make a big romantic gesture like in the movies, you should try showing up on time for a date." Mary Jane Watson rolls her eyes as she twirls a strand of her long, wavy red hair around her finger. Peter rubs the back of his neck. As much as he loves being Spiderman, it does have some drawbacks. Especially when it came to his girlfriend. He loves spending time with Mary Jane, but he knows that with great power comes great responsibility. "I'm really sorry MJ." Peter replies, shaking his head. "I was taking photos at the airport and there was some big superhero thing going down. Jameson always pays double for stuff like that, so now I can take you someplace really fancy to make up for it." "Assuming you show up for **that** date." Mary Jane teases. Peter sighs, leaning forward while running his hands through his brown hair. "I know. I know. I'm sorry, MJ. I really am. I…" "It's fine." Mary Jane cuts him off. She smiles at Peter while chuckling slightly. "I'm just messing with you. Just try to show up next time, okay?" "MJ, there's nothing that can interrupt next time. I promise." Peter smiles. Mary Jane leans across the table and takes Peter's hand, interacting her fingers with his. She pulls his hand up to her lips and kisses it softly before looking over at him and smiles warmly. "I'm going to hold you to that. I love you, Peter." "I love you too, MJ." Peter replies.

Suddenly, Peter's spider sense goes off and he dives across the table, wrapping his arms around Mary Jane as he pulls her to the ground and the two of them roll several feet from the window. Just as he does, there is this massive explosion from across the street as a car rips apart and becomes engulfed in flames. The shock wave shatters the window, showering the restaurant with glass shards. "Mary Jane, stay low and get as far back as you can!" Peter warns as he jumps up and runs towards the bathroom. Mary Jane wanted to call out, but she knows from prior experience that the best thing she could do was to stay safe so Peter wouldn't have to worry about her. She turns and runs for the back of the restaurant, rushing into the kitchen even as most of the patrons run towards the shattered window. Peter goes into the bathroom, which is empty. He jumps into one of the stalls and locks the door, quickly changes into Spider-Man and jumps up onto the ceiling, sticking to it. He crawls around the ceiling until he reaches the window on the wall and goes through it, crawling his way further up to the café's roof. Spider-Man runs forward to the edge of the roof, where he sees the cause of the explosion.

Flying around in the middle of the street is a man dressed in an orange hood and cape, standing on a gray curved glider that soared through the air. "Run! Run all of you! I want to see you burn while I wait for Spider-Man!" Hobgoblin cackles from behind his hideous yellow mask. He reaches into the gray satchel at his side. He pulls out a small pumpkin-shaped disc and hurls it down at the street, towards a group of people! A thick strand of webbing shoots at and wraps around the pumpkin as Spider-Man pulls it away from the crowd up into his own hand. "Aren't you a little too old to dress up in a Halloween costume?" He calls out toward Hobgoblin as he drops the pumpkin off the side of the roof, which then explodes. "Ah, Spider-Man! Excellent!" Hobgoblin calls out. "Today is the last day of your life, my wall-crawling friend, and I'm going to enjoy watching you die!" "Well, we'll see about that." Spider-Man calls out, but suddenly he feels his spider sense go off and he turns around just in time. A huge spark of electricity comes flying through the air straight at him. Spider-Man jumps back and barely dodges it. When he saw where it came from, his eyes behind his mask widened a bit. There's a man in a green suit with yellow boots and gloves with an electrical design down the front. He's wearing a large mask that is shaped like a lightning bolt. Electricity crackles in his hands as he steps forward and grins.

"Electro!" Spider-Man gasps. "Oh no… Don't tell me…" Spider-Man jumps away from the roof, swinging on his webs as he hurries down the street, his mind racing at the possibilities. _Electro_ _ **and**_ _Hobgoblin_?! _Hopefully this is just a very bad coincidence, but the last time I saw more than one of my enemies at once was…_ Spider-Man flashes back to his first encounter with the Sinister Six. Six of his greatest enemies that had allied themselves to try to destroy him, and they had come awfully close to actually doing so. All Spider-Man cares about right now is getting clear of these two. If his worst fears are true and there are more of his enemies lurking nearby, he wanted to get away from the public. Hobgoblin quickly goes after him, but Electro hangs back. He reaches his hand up to the right side of his head and presses down on an earpiece. "It's working. Spider-Man showed up and just like you predicted, he's heading toward Central Park." _"Of course. These hero types all think the same way; they want to minimize civilian casualties."_ A deep voice with a heavy Spanish accent comes over the call. _"Spider-Man will come… And then we will break him."_

"Bruce, we have a **big** problem." Batman is in the living room of a small apartment. An unconscious man is lying across the table in the middle of the room, while two others are leaning against each other in the corridor with obvious injuries. A fourth man is struggling for breath as he squirms against the iron-like grip of Batman's glove, which is currently wrapped around his throat. "What is it, Oracle?" Batman asks, pressing his free hand down on one of the "ears" of his cowl. "I was able to decrypt the rest of Black Mask's emails. Apparently, he didn't come to New York alone. These emails mention that he's bringing some 'heavy hitters' from Gotham with him. It doesn't mention anyone specifically but apparently, he's after Spider-Man." Batman's eyes widen behind his cowl. He slams his fist down on the criminal's head, rendering him unconscious and tosses him to the floor. "Barbara, patch me into the NYPD dispatch radio." With a sharp crackle, Batman could now hear everything the NYPD dispatcher is saying and as luck would have it, there is an all-points bulletin going out. _"All units, all units, Spider-Man spotted heading towards Central Park. He is being pursued by Hobgoblin. There are reports of explosions and property damage in the area. All units, respond."_ Batman quickly cuts off the message and heads towards the door, knowing that he has to get to Central Park.


	4. Chapter 4

Spider-Man spins in the air as he jumps from a building across the road to the massive expanse of Central Park. His web fluid catches a tree branch and he slings himself deeper into the woods. Peter lands in the middle of a clearing, his eyes looking skyward for any sign of Hobgoblin. What was once a bright sunny afternoon is now dark and gloomy with storm clouds in the sky. Suddenly, Peter's spider sense goes off and he jumps just as a beam of bright blue energy comes speeding just passed his head. He flips several times and when he comes to a stop, he looks to see his left shoulder covered in frost and snow. "Talk about a cold shoulder." Spider-Man mutters to himself as he looks up to see a tall man wearing a grey, blue, and black suit. His skin is pale blue and his eyes are hidden behind piercing red goggles. His bald head is encased in a clear container that swirled with frosty air. In his hand is a massive gun. "Hey, I know you!" Spider-Man calls out, just as Mr. Freeze fires another beam of concentrated cold and he had to jump aside. Now hanging upside down from a tree, Spider-Man looks over at his new assailant. "Yeah, I read about you! You're Dr. Victor Fries. You invented cryogenic freezing." "Allow me to demonstrate my technology, Spider-Man.", Mr. Freeze says in an eerily robotic voice as he fires a beam of ice right at the web-slinger. Spider-Man just jumps out of the way and lands on another tree. He then jumps from the tree branch and fires several quick webshots. The webbing splatters across Freeze's helmet, obscuring his vision. Spider-Man collides with another tree, pushing off it with both feet, springs right towards Mr. Freeze, kicks him in the stomach, and sends him flying backwards. "Maybe nobody told you, but I'm stronger than I look." Spider-Man gloats as Mr. Freeze smashes into a tree. His free hand rips away at the webbing. He raises his freeze gun and fires, causing Spider-Man to dodge wildly – but this time the beam catches his left arm and pins him against a tree. "So am I." Freeze sneers as he starts walking toward Spider-Man. Spider-Man strains against the ice, sending hairline fractures against the surface. He manages to break free and ducks down, rushes between Freeze's legs, jumps up behind him, kicks him in the small of his back, and knocks him into the tree. Before Freeze can get up, Spider-Man fires several web shots at both of his hands, sticking him against the tree.

"So Frosty, what brings you to New York?" "We came for you, Spider-Man." Spider-Man turns around just in time to get sprayed in the face with a thick brown gas. He falls backward, coughing and sputtering, waving his arm in front of him to try to keep a distance between himself and whoever had attacked him. He looks up to see a strange man in brown, tattered clothes wearing a leathery brown mask and an old hat pulled down over his head. In seconds, the man seemed to have changed. He looked taller and his eyes burned like flames. A mouth had opened on the mask, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth with thousands of maggots and bugs pouring out. Spider-Man gasps as he stumbles backward. He could hardly tell what was real and what was imaginary anymore. Central Park has seemingly turned into a hellish landscape. _Peter… Why did you let me die, Peter?_ Spider-Man turns to his right and sees a grey-haired man with a disappointed frown. The man's shirt is covered with blood and he's holding his hand against his heart – the same spot where the robber had shot him. "Uncle Ben?" Spider-Man gasps. "No… No… I didn't mean…" Ben's skin turns ghostly white and his eyes become unnaturally black. Blood begins to ooze out of his mouth, nose, and eyes as he continuously accuses Peter of letting him die. _Peter, you didn't save me… you forgot about me…_ Spider-Man turns to his left and sees a beautiful blond girl. She is holding her head at an unnatural angle as she staggers towards him, tears trailing down her cheeks. "Gwen, that's not true." Peter could feel tears beneath his mask as he stares at her in horror. "I tried to save you… I tried so hard…" _Not hard enough, Spider-Man!_ Gwen snarls in a horrible voice as her neck suddenly straightens out. She reaches beneath her chin and rips off her own face, revealing the vile face of the Green Goblin laughing maniacally. Suddenly, Spider-Man feels someone slam him hard in the chest and he falls backward. He looks up to see the living nightmare that is Venom. _We're baaaaack!_ "No… No… No…" Venom reaches down, grabs Spider-Man by the front of his costume, picks him up, and tosses him into a nearby tree. _What's the matter, Parker? Didn't you miss us? We missed you. Well… missed trying to eat you, that is._ Venom chuckles as he licks his chops. Spider-Man finally passes out in fright. Hobgoblin, Mr. Freeze, and Scarecrow stand around his limp body.

"I gotta admit, Scarecrow. That gas of yours is quite a doozy.", Hobgoblin smirks. Scarecrow tips his hat. Mr. Freeze strolls between the two of them, bumps them both with his broad shoulders. "You two can be friends later. Let's just squash the bug and be done with it." Freeze walks over and raises his foot above Spider-Man's head – but a blast of electricity slams him in the chest and knocks him back. Electro comes sprinting forward through the bushes. "This may just be a paycheck for you, but for some of us it's personal!", Electro says, "I want to watch Spider-Man suffer before he meets his end." Mr. Freeze turns and aims his gun at Electro's face with a grim expression. "Don't think that I'm like the rest of you. I'm not doing this for money and I don't care about your petty revenge. The sooner the Spider is dead, the sooner my Nora will be returned." "That explains why you're here, Victor. I was wondering why you would suddenly go and work for a man like Fisk." Both Mr. Freeze and Scarecrow get wide-eyed from the voice that permeated the forest. Electro and Hobgoblin are not as concerned, instead both are eagerly examining their surroundings for whoever was foolish enough to eavesdrop on their conversation. Suddenly, a batarang comes flying out of the darkness and embeds in the ground between the four of them. It immediately unleashes a high-piercing sonic sound that causes them to yell out and cover their ears. Freeze drops to one knee, unable to cover his ears with his helmet on and feels the full brunt of the sound. Out of the shadows, several small smoke pellets roll out and immediately begin spitting out thick, black smoke. The entire area is engulfed in seconds and a shadow comes rushing through it. Batman grabs the injured Spider-Man and throws him over his shoulder before retreating. Electro blasts the sonic batarang with electricity, destroying it completely. As the sound waves stop, Hobgoblin blasts up above the canopy of smoke on his glider. "I will not have some stupid bat ruin this score." Hobgoblin growls as he looks around wildly. He then sees the fluttering black cape in the distance. He grins and flies off, eager to destroy both heroes.


	5. Chapter 5

Batman runs until he gets to an area where a large bridge extends over a stream and hurries beneath it. He leans Spider-Man against the underside of the bridge. His gloved hand pulls out a small injection device from his utility belt. He loads it with a clear liquid from a small capsule on his belt and brings it down to Spider-Man's neck. A needle injects the contents right into Spider-Man's bloodstream. After a few seconds, Spider-Man gasps and begins to flail around. Batman tries to hold him still, but the strength of the wall-crawler made it easy for him to knock Batman backwards. Spider-Man sits up and looks around, coughing several times. His vision is blurry for a moment. He then hears a stern voice. "Stay quiet and still. They're looking for us." "What happened to me?" Spider-Man groans, rubbing his head. "I feel like I just went twelve rounds with the Hulk." Batman shakes his head. "You inhaled Scarecrow's fear gas. I just injected you with an antidote." With a loud groan, Spider-Man sits up. "I appreciate the help, but right now this forest is crawling with bad guys and I've got to do something about that." "It's Wilson Fisk and Roman Sionis." Batman explains quietly. "That's why I'm in New York. Sionis came here to meet Fisk. They've hired several criminals from Gotham and New York to team up to kill you." Spider-Man sighs deeply. "Fisk… I should've known. That guy has had out for me for a long time. Makes sense he would hire out-of-town muscle this time." "He's done this before?" Batman asks. "Well, no, he hasn't… but another of my enemies, Norman Osborn, has. He put together six of my biggest foes and had them try to destroy me all at once. I guess Fisk stole the idea and decided to make it more exotic." Spider-Man replies as he rotates his shoulder, trying to get the feeling back in his body. "You said six? I counted four. Freeze, Scarecrow, and two others." "Electro and Hobgoblin." Spider-Man nods. "Maybe Fisk and Sionis decided four is enough – or maybe there's a couple more out there waiting. Either way, I need to get these guys off the street before someone gets hurt." Batman reaches his hand out, which catches Spider-Man off guard. He cautiously reaches out and takes Batman's hand, letting the taller hero pull him to his feet. "Does this mean we're friends now?" Spider-Man asks in his usual cheeky tone. "Don't push it." Batman replies. "There's a better chance of protecting the city if we work together." Spider-Man nods thoughtfully. "Makes sense… plus, it would make up the fact that you didn't tell me what Fisk and Sionis were planning when we first met earlier." "You talk too much." Batman replies.

Spider-Man starts to chuckle, but suddenly Batman's gloved hand clamps over his mouth and the Dark Knight makes the hand gesture for silence. Spider-Man listens and hears the familiar buzzing of Hobgoblin's glider. Something falls onto the bridge and explodes. Batman jumps to the left while Spider-Man runs to the right, each manages to get clear before the bridge collapses entirely into the stream. Flying high above them is Hobgoblin who's laughing like a fiend. Batman throws a batarang which sails straight and true through the air and embeds into the underside of the glider – a moment later and there is a crackle of electricity as the batarang gives off an EMP and fries the glider. Hobgoblin lets out a scream as he loses control and flies towards the ground. Spider-Man swings forward on a tree branch and manages to catch Hobgoblin before the glider smashes into the ground. He throws Hobgoblin down hard, landing him right on his back with full force. "That's one down!" Spider-Man calls out. "Five to go – AHHHHH!" Batman suddenly screams in pain as Electro blasts him in the back with a burst of lightning and he collapses on the shore of the stream. "Not good.", Spider-Man groans as he rushes towards Batman – but Mr. Freeze emerges from the tree line, firing several freeze blasts at him, causing Spider-Man to go on the defensive. From beside Electro, Scarecrow eagerly rushes up and drops down beside Batman, presses a hand down over his exposed mouth and lets a puff of brown smoke emit from his glove. Scarecrow laughs out madly and looks down at Batman as he coughs. "I've brewed up an extra strong batch just for you, Batman. Now tell me – what do you see?"

The world around Bruce melts away. Central Park, the villains, and Spider-Man are gone – now he's lying in a dirty alleyway. A newspaper blows by on the wind, and as he looks up, he could see the Gotham Skyline behind him. The Monarch Theater looms in front of him. At the end of the alleyway he sees his parents. Suddenly, a shadowy figure rushes at them. Before Bruce could scream, the gunshots ring out. Bruce scrambles to his feet and runs forward, but as he does the alleyway melts away for the inside of a darkened factory. He sees a young man with black hair, a red shirt, and green pants. He's on his knees, covered in blood and sobbing from behind his domino mask. _Bruce… Why did you let me die?_ Jason Todd sobs. _Oh, don't cry, Jason. Uncle Joker is here to cheer you up with some side-splitters that are guaranteed to make you laugh._ All of a sudden, a crowbar comes down and splits Jason's head open. _Oops, did I say side-splitters? I meant **skull** -splitters. HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! _Maniacal laughter fills the factory, and Batman watches helplessly as a silhouette towers above Jason, holding the blood-soaked crowbar. All he could see is the evil grinning face of the Joker, and all he could hear is the sickening, repeating thud of the crowbar and the never-ending laughter.

"Think we'll get paid extra to fry the Bat?" Electro asks Scarecrow. "If we do, I guarantee you Sionis will double our pay." Scarecrow snickers from behind his mask. "To think I took this job to fund my studies, and now I get to watch Batman's life drain from his body. It was well worth the trip." Meanwhile on the other side of the dilapidated bridge, Spider-Man is ducking and dodging Mr. Freeze's attacks when he sees Electro and Scarecrow standing over Batman's body. He jumps, twists in mid-air, and shoots his webbing into the end of Freeze's gun. The next frozen beam is caught in the barrel and the gun bursts, encasing Mr. Freeze in ice. Spider-Man then webs a tree and swings across the stream, kicking Electro in the chest and knocks him back. Spider-Man turns around to face Scarecrow, who is already reaching for him. "Not this time!" Spider-Man says as he webs Scarecrow's mask right over his eyes. He grabs Scarecrow by the wrist and twists his arm, points it towards Electro and sprays him in the face with the fear gas. Electro scrambles backward, sparks flying from his face as he coughs and sputters. He looks up at Spider-Man as the brown smoke clears from his face and he screams at the sight before him. It seems that Spider-Man had grown several feet taller and now has grown four extra arms. All six arms and his feet are now covered in brown hair, each equipped with massive claws. His head has ripped out of his mask, revealing an ugly hairy head with eight eyes and huge fangs. With a scream of sheer horror, Electro raises his hands and blasts lightning at the monstrous Man-Spider before him, but Spider-Man acts quick and pulls Scarecrow in front of him, letting the Master of Fear take the full brunt of the electrical storm. He then pushes Scarecrow into Electro and jumps beside them, grabs both of them by the back of their heads and slams their faces together. Satisfied, he watches as they both fall unconscious. "Sorry, I just don't like you guys, so why don't you hang out with each other?" Spider-Man sprays them with webbing, twisting them about until both are cocooned in thick webbing – and then he tosses the cocoon up towards a tree, spraying several additional webs – suspending the cocoon between two branches. Spider-Man watches in satisfaction – until he feels his spider sense tingle and turns around just as a pumpkin bomb goes off. He dodges quickly, but he gets thrown backward and smashes into the rubble of the bridge.

Hobgoblin comes rushing foreword, clutching his side with one hand but holding a second bomb with the other. "Did you actually think you'd get rid of me that easily, Spider-Man?" Hobgoblin growls. "Kinda hoped so, yeah." Spider-Man groans. Hobgoblin raises his hand with the bomb and begins to laugh, but suddenly a gloved hand clamps down on his wrist and retches his arm into an unnatural position. Batman's elbow comes down hard, dislocating Hobgoblin's arm with one powerful hit and causes him to scream out in pain as he drops the bomb, sending it bouncing off into the stream. "H-How?! The gas!" Hobgoblin groans. Batman slams his open palm against Hobgoblin's mask, making him groan in pain. Several rapid-paced punches to the ribs and Hobgoblin falls to the ground with a thud. He's knocked out, but Batman brings his boot down on the back of Hobgoblin's knee hard enough to snap it. Spider-Man hobbles over and shoots a web at Hobgoblin's satchel, pulls it into his hands and throws it into the stream. "Geez, you don't pull any punches, do you?" "We can't afford to pull punches." Batman replies. Spider-Man nods. "Hey… I hate to be a chorus girl for a crazy goblin, but how did you recover from the gas? That stuff seriously messed with my head when I was under it." "I inoculated myself from Scarecrow's gas earlier when we were under the bridge. He was using a special extra-strength gas so I was still affected, but I recovered faster than normal." "Nice." Spider-Man gives a thumbs up.

"Well, that's Hobgoblin, Scarecrow, and Electro down, and I left Mr. Freeze on the other side of the…" Peter's voice trails off as he glances across the stream and sees that Mr. Freeze is gone. There is several large chunks of ice and the broken remains of his gun, but Freeze is nowhere to be seen. "… I swear he was right there." Spider-Man sighs deeply. "Not anymore!" Mr. Freeze jumps out from behind a pair of nearby bushes, brandishing a second freeze gun. He blasts out a beam of concentrated cold that slams into Spider-Man's chest, causing the hero to groan as he falls backwards with ice and snow accumulating quickly all over his body. Batman spins around and throws a batarang that smashes into the front of his helmet, hitting it right in the middle and creating a long crack across the front. Freeze steps back and fires his gun at the Dark Knight, forcing Batman to jump for cover. Meanwhile, Spider-Man forces himself to sit up and ignore the cold. He reaches for his belt and pulls out a small capsule which he bursts in his hand and rubs it across his chest – and quickly the ice and snow begins to dissolve away. As soon as he feels warmth spreading throughout his body, Peter grabs two more heating packs and tosses them at Mr. Freeze. They slam into his legs and pop, sending the warm liquid across his knees. Freeze lets out a gasp as he feels the heat spreading through his suit and he stumbles forward, dropping his gun. Batman rushes over and slams his fist down on Freeze's back, knocking him down on the ground. He then pulls his hands behind him, before smashing his fist through Freeze's helmet and shatters it. "What is that stuff you used on him?" Batman asks. Spider-Man shrugs. "A heating pack I developed myself. It was really cold last winter and I spent most of my nights outdoors doing this kind of thing."

All of a sudden, the two heroes hear a mechanical crunching sound as something hard and metallic smashes into the ground. Spider-Man and Batman both turn to see a figure coming their way. Recognizing the figure, Spider-Man groans. It's a short, squat man with a bowl haircut and very large goggles over his face. He's wearing a green jumpsuit with yellow gloves and boots, but what makes the man really stand out is his extra arms. He has four mechanical tentacles attached to his back, using them to walk across the ground with massive strides. "One of yours?" Batman asks. "Yeah. Doc Ock. He's a genius, but completely insane. Don't underestimate those arms." Spider-Man warns. "Spider-Man, Batman! I'm surprised to see the two of you working together, but no matter. I saw everything that happened. You both sustained serious injuries. It should be a simple matter to remove you both from this world." Doctor Octopus grins as he approaches them. "Don't be so sure." Batman retorts as he glares at the evil genius. "Two against one." Spider-Man calls out. "Think again, niños." Another voice calls out as a massive mountain of a man in a black tank-top and brown camouflage pants emerges from the opposite direction. His muscles are enormous and covering his face is a black luchador mask. There's a hose attached to the back of his head that runs down to a large glove on his left hand. "Holy beefcake, Batman!" Spider-Man calls out. "Talk about juicing." "His name's Bane. He's a master strategist and incredibly strong – and he can increase his strength with a drug called venom." Batman explains in one quick breath. "Venom?" Spider-Man blinks a few times. "… Greeeeat. At least this venom isn't drooling all over the place." Batman ignores the teenage crime fighter as he narrows his eyes at Bane. "So, this was the plan all along. Send the others to work us over and tire us out, so you can step in and do the heavy lifting." "I think we both know heavy lifting is my specialty, perro." Bane smirks as he cracks his knuckles. He then glances over at Doctor Octopus. "I will squash your bug problem, you rip the wings off the Bat. Agreed?" One of Doc Ock's massive mechanical tendrils shoots at Batman, causing the hero to jump to the side as the cold steel claw rips a hole in his cape. "Agreed!" Doc Ock calls out as he charges at Batman.

Meanwhile, Bane turns toward Spider-Man and charges. Spider-Man jumps up, flips above Bane, and comes down behind him. He aims a kick at Bane's side and slams his foot into the enormous man, but much to Spidey's surprise Bane shows little reaction. "You are strong." Bane sneers. He spins around and brings his fist down on Spider-Man's shoulder that sends him crumbling to the ground. "But I am stronger." Spider-Man rolls across the ground to avoid being stomped on and gets back on his feet by doing a quip-up. He then fires webshots at Bane, tying his arms together but the massive man easily rips through the super strong webbing. Spidey ducks down, dodging a punch and pops up beside Bane. He hits Bane in the face with a left hook, knocking him back. Spider-Man then gives out a furious flurry of fists on Bane. The larger man stumbles back as Spider-Man crosses his arms and chuckles. "You want to reconsider who's stronger?" A deep, throaty laugh escapes Bane's masked mouth. His right hand moves down to the device strapped around his left wrist and presses a button. Suddenly, the hose connecting the device to the back of his head begins to pulsate as something pumps directly into Bane's bloodstream. In a matter of seconds, the already massive muscles of the luchadore double in size. His arms become inhumanly large with his veins protruding against his tan skin. The mask around his face strains to stay on with how much bigger the man has gotten and he lets loose a roar that sounded like it came from a Tyrannosaurus Rex. "… Me and my big mouth." Spidey groans. Bane turns towards a large tree. He grips the trunk with both hands and lets out a loud grunt. The sound of wood snapping fills Central Park as he uproots the tree with relative ease. With a loud yell, Bane swings the tree like a baseball bat, trying to smash Spider-Man. The hero jumps and manages to keep from getting crushed, but he gets hit in the chest and gets knocked back several feet. Spidey groans, clutching his chest and tries to catch his breath. Pain radiates through his entire body and beneath his mask he clenches his eyes shut, trying to work up the strength to stand.

Nearby, Batman lets out a sharp yell of pain. Doc Ock's metal tentacles have wrapped around him, one binding his hands and another held his feet together. The Dark Knight is suspended above the mad scientist's head with each of the robotic arms pulling him in a different direction. "Go ahead. Struggle. There is no chance of escape from my clutches, Dark Knight.", Doc Ock sneers. Batman struggles to move his fingers from one glove to the back of the other. On the knuckle of each glove is a small bump beneath the black. Batman's finger barely stretches far enough to press the bump and suddenly, there are electrical sparks on his gloves from both the knuckles and the tips of his fingers. He strains to move his hand and grabs hold of the mechanical tendril wrapped around his waist – and in an instant it sends a powerful surge of electricity through Doc Ock's robotic appendages all the way to where they are connected to his back. Ock screams out in sudden pain as he glows with electricity and he releases Batman as he falls backward onto the ground.

Batman slams against the grassy ground with a loud thud and he groans in pain. His arms and legs feel like jelly, but he knows he can't sit still. He leans up, his hands still sparking with electrical power. Suddenly, Spider-Man comes crashing into him from the side and they both go tumbling to the ground. Bane is standing several yards away, clenching his fists as he glares over at the two heroes. "I will crush you both beneath my boots! Parents will forever tell their children the story of Bane, the Man who Broke the Bat and Squashed the Spider!" Sitting up, Spider-Man watches as Bane starts charging towards him. Batman also notices it and quickly shuts off his shock gloves. The two lock eyes for just a moment before each jump in a different direction. Batman jumps to the left and throws a batarang which flies straight for the tube that runs from Bane's wrist to his head. The corner of the razor-sharp shuriken slices through the rubber tube and a thick, green liquid sprays out from both sides. At the same time, Spider-Man jumps to the right and aims both his hands at the massive brute's legs, shooting several globs of webbing at Bane's ankles, knees, and legs. The thick webbing accumulates in seconds, wrapping the massive man's legs and causing him to fall face first onto the ground. Suddenly, a sickening tingling spreads up and down Peter's spine and he barely had enough time to grab Batman and jump to the side as two large mechanical tentacles stab into the ground where the two heroes previously stood.

Doc Ock is back on his feet and lets out a loud yell as he stabs all four of his robotic appendages at the two. Batman dodges to the side while Spider-Man swings into a tree. "You've always been too persistent, Otto!" Spider-Man yells out as he fires web fluid onto Doc Ock's goggles, coating them with webbing completely. The scientist yells out in anger as he uses his regular hands to try to tear away the webbing. Batman throws a batarang which embeds into the ground at Doc Ock's feet. On both sides, a blue light goes on and off real fast. "What does that one do?" Spider-Man asks. "You'll see." Batman smirks. All of a sudden, Spider-Man hears a bunch of chirping and chattering. He looks up and he couldn't believe his eyes. A vast legion of bats comes down from the night sky and swarm Doctor Octopus, biting and scratching him. "Geez, someone is going to need to get rabies shots after this." Spider-Man says. Ock, now screaming in terror, tries swiping them away but the bats' onslaught is too much. He ends up running face first into a tree. As the swarm of bats fly away, Spiderman webs up Doc Ock's body, pinning him to the ground. He then webs up each of Ock's mechanical arms separately. Doc Ock comes to and sees a shadow being cast over him. He looks up to see Batman glaring down at him with his piercing white eyes, his fists are clenched and his cape is blowing in the wind. "What are you?" Ock whimpers in pain and fear. Suddenly, there is the loud roar of thunder and a flash of lightning. "I am vengeance. I am the night. I am… BATMAN!" Batman bellows before knocking out Doc Ock with one punch. "And don't you forget it, Otto!" Spider-Man adds.

"Well, I think it's finally over." Spidey calls out with relief. Yet as even as the words left his mouth, his spider sense starts to go crazy. He's too tired and injured to dodge the danger this time, as a pair of massive hands grab him – one wrapped around his neck and the other grabbed his leg. Bane hoists Spider-Man up above his head. "I WILL BREAK YOU!" The whirling sound of a batarang cuts through the air – and a second later Bane's left hand gets cut, causing him to cry out and drop Spider-Man as he flinches away from the pain. Bane clutches his bloody hand against his chest as Spider-Man jumps up and delivers a kick to his face. Bane staggers back and drops to one knee. He then looks up, only to get punched in the face simultaneously by the fists of both Spider-Man and Batman, and gets knocked out. Not soon after, the dark clouds part and it becomes bright and sunny again. Spider-Man turns to Batman. "Thanks. I had a bad feeling about that." "You have no idea." Batman shakes his head. "Excelsior!" Batman and Spider-Man look to see two old men who have been watching the entire battle from safe enough distance away. "Way to go, crime-fighters. Once again, good has triumphed over the forces of evil." One of them says. "Keep up the good work, heroes.", the other one says. "Uh… Thank you for the kind words, gentlemen." Spider-Man says while trying to sound more mature and stoic. "C'mon Stan, we got to get going. Don't want to be late for the movie, old chum." "Right behind you, Adam." The two men then go on their way. "They look familiar to you?" Spider-Man asks Batman. "Maybe one of them." Batman shrugs. Spider-Man then webs up Bane's unconscious body. "Well, I think we're done here. Gosh, every muscle in my body feels like jello." Spider-Man groans. Batman crosses his arms. "We're not done yet. We still have two to go…"

 ***For those of you didn't catch that, those two old men are supposed to be Stan Lee and Adam West. May they rest in peace.**


	6. Chapter 6

As the sun rises above the New York skyline, the Kingpin and Black Mask sit around a glimmering swimming pool on the roof of one of New York's tallest buildings. Wilson Fisk and Roman Sionis are relaxing in pool chairs, each taking great joy from their imported Scotch and the scantily clad women playing in the pool. "Any word from the Sinister Six?" Sionis asks. Fisk simply shrugs. "Not yet, but I doubt we'll have to wait much longer. With the amount we offered for Spider-Man's head, there's no way they'll wait to deliver. Soon I'll have that web-slinger stuffed and mounted on my wall." "And then it will be Batman's turn." Sionis grins devilishly underneath his mask. "I can hardly wait to see that blood-soaked cowl presented to me." "It will be a good day." Fisk agrees, raising his glass. "Perhaps I'll even throw them some extra money to kill Daredevil. With the Sinister Six in our employ, we could start exporting them to kill crime-fighters all across the country." Sionis chuckles loudly. "We'll go down in history as the enterprising partnership that brought an end to the dark age of spandex and ruined profits." "Yeeeeah, so bad news about that." Fisk and Sionis sit there in shock as Spider-Man swings over and perches himself onto one of the stone archways that cornered the pool. The women in the pool scream and quickly scramble out of it, rushing for the doorway at the corner of the roof. "Spider-Man!" Kingpin snarls as he jumps to his feet and grabs his walking stick. He clenches it so tight that the handle begins to bend. "How can you possibly be alive?!" The wall-crawler just shrugs. "I had some help." "Hello, Roman." Sionis's eyes widen underneath his mask as he hears the voice behind him. He turns and reaches his hand beneath his jacket for his revolver, but Batman quickly grabs him. He lifts him above his head, throws him across the roof and into the pool. Fisk gasps at the sight and lashes out, trying to smash Batman over the head with his walking stick; but a strand of webbing sticks to the stick and wretches it out of Fisk's hand. Spider-Man jumps off the arc, spirals in the air and comes down with both feet right on Fisk's shoulders, knocking him to the ground. The web-slinger then casually tosses the walking stick off the roof. "Too slow!" Fisk growls and gets back up. He tries to grab Spider-Man, only to receive a punch to the face by Batman. Fisk stumbles back and trips on a line of webbing that was sprayed between two archways. He falls backward and lands in the pool with a loud splash. Spider-Man and Batman stand at the edge of the pool, glaring down at the two water-logged mob bosses. "You two did a great job on this plan. I mean, really, you should be proud – you've helped me and Batman become friends. Just imagine how good that's going to be for your business?" Spider-Man chuckles. "The Sinister Six are on their way to Riker's Island as we speak." Batman says. A great gust of wind blows across the rooftop as several police helicopters come into view, hovering above the skyscraper. "And you'll be joining them."

"I heard that the police found some hidden files on Fisk's computer that prove he was in cahoots with Sionis to hire the Sinister Six. I'm guessing you helped with that?" Spider-Man asks Batman. The hours had passed and while Spider-Man had swung away the moment the cops arrived, Batman had remained at the penthouse to tell them everything. Now the Dark Knight is perched on the edge of a rooftop, scanning Times Square below. The sun is setting on the horizon. "I did." Batman replies. "It may not keep Fisk in jail for long, though. He has a lot of money and a wide reach." Spider-Man shrugs as he walks and sits on the edge of the roof next to Batman. "True, but at least we did some good today." "We did." Batman agrees. "I was wrong about you. You did extremely well today." "Thanks, Bats." Spider-Man says as he slips his hands behind his head. Batman then stands up and turns around, slowly making his way across the rooftop. "I'll be leaving New York soon. Sionis is in jail so I have no reason to be here." Spider-Man walks over to the Dark Knight. "I hope this isn't the last time we meet. I also hope what I said to Fisk and Sionis is true. Friends?" Spiderman says as he extends a hand. Batman turns towards him; his eyes narrowed into slits. "I don't make friends, Spider-Man." He then extends his hand and takes Spidey's, shaking it firmly. "But I do count you as an ally." "Well that's something anyway." Spider-Man chuckles. He then holds up a camera with his other hand. "By the way, mind if I get a picture of the two of us? It's for a… thing." Batman crosses his arms. "I don't do scrapbooks." "No, it's not a for a scrapbook." Spider-Man sighs, shaking his head and runs his hand over the top of his mask. "It's kind of a long story, but… oh you gotta be kidding me." As the web-slinger looks up, he realizes he's alone on the rooftop. Batman had seemingly vanished into thin air. Spider-Man just sighs and shrugs his shoulders. _Well, I better go see how MJ is holding up._ Spider-Man turns and runs for the edge of the roof and leaps off, sailing through the air for several seconds before launching a line of webbing and swings away through the city.

The End


End file.
